1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to litter boxes, especially litter boxes for household pets, and, more particularly, to litter box assemblies that can be mounted to the exterior of a house or other residence to provide for the ingress and egress of a small animal between the litter box and the interior of the house or other residence.
2. Description of the Related Art
Presently commercially available litter boxes and litter box assemblies are designed to maintain pet waste and litter, especially litter soiled with such waste, within a confined space. They are also optionally designed to, at least to some degree, control the odor of such waste and soiled litter. Nonetheless, presently commercially available litter boxes are deficient in a number of respects.
Many pet owners have so-called "indoor" pets that are domiciled predominantly, or exclusively, indoors and, more particularly, are domiciled inside the home or residence of the owner or owners. These owners often desire to keep the litter box of the pet outside of the residence for one or more of a number of reasons, including, to avoid the odor associated with litter and/or litter soiled with pet waste, to prevent the loss of the space inside the residence that is occupied by the litter box, to prevent excess litter, especially soiled litter, from accumulating near the litter box location of the litter box or along the typical path of the pet to and from the litter box, and other factors However, allowing an "indoor" pet outside to use an exterior litter box often creates undesirable effects including an increased chance that the pet will be lost, stolen, or injured, an increased chance that the pet will be exposed to harsh or unpleasant outdoor or environmental effects such as rain, cold, or wind, an increased chance that the pet will confront other animals, as well as other effects.
To address these problems, there have been created assemblies involving an opening to the outside from the residence, such as an open window, and a mounting for the litter box such that the litter box accessible through the window. To prevent the pet from getting outside of the residence and assembly, baffles have been affixed to the open window of the residence.
There are problems associated with this arrangement, including: the security and weather-resistance of the residence and the litter box assembly are often compromised as there must be an opened window; it is relatively easy for one outside the residence to remove the baffles and the litter box assembly, and to climb through the opened window; the weather resistance of the residence is often compromised when a window is opened; by having the litter box against the open window, the air may readily flow into the house from the litter box, bringing the undesirable odor into the residence.
Other problems are that the litter may get stuck to the paws of the pet, and subsequently may be brought into around the house or residence; and that there are only a limited variety of installations options. For example, it is often not desirable to have the litter box directly mounted against the house, but rather, it is desirable to have the litter box near the house but in a more convenient location. However, when the entrance of the litter box is not directly linked to the opening of the residence, the pet is more prone to escape to the outside entailed the above-mentioned undesirable effects.
Therefore, a need exists for a litter box and litter box assembly that may be placed outside the residence in a variety of convenient or otherwise desirable orientations or locations. A need also exists for a litter box or litter box assembly that will prevent the pet from escaping to the outside. Furthermore, a need exists for a litter box or litter box assembly that will prevent odor or litter and associated waste from entering the house or residence, while allowing the residence and litter box to remain weather resistant, or while allowing the residence and litter box to remain secure against unwanted intrusion.